Cash Machines

Thousands of cash machines across the country in pubs, convenience stores, casinos and service stations are charging people up to £10 to withdraw their money.

Frank has undertaken research into the issue of pay-to-use ATMs in Wirral and found there to be a large proportion of cash machines that charge people to withdraw money in the poorest parts of the borough, in comparison with the wealthier areas that have few, if any cash machines that charge people to withdraw their money.

The number of cash withdrawals charged has almost doubled since 2001 and Frank is concerned that these pay-to-use ATMs are embodying a new geographical definition of poverty.

Following a Freedom of Information request submitted by Frank, the Financial Conduct Authority admitted that there was currently no regulation in place to cover access to free-to-use cash machines. Frank is therefore putting pressure on the Government to make sure a proper regulatory system is put in place to monitor the situation, improve access to free-to-use ATMs and reduce reliance on pay-to-use machines in more deprived parts of the country. You can read Frank's correspondence with and Parliamentary Questions to the Treasury by clicking here.

Frank has also asked LINK, the organisation responsible for running the country's network of cash machines, to investigate this issue and possible ways of reversing the growth of pay-to-use ATMs in more deprived areas. You can read Frank's correspondence with LINK by clicking here.

Each of these machines is installed and provided by an Independent ATM Deployer. Frank has written to each of these private organisations urging them to take account of the impact of cash machine charges on people on low incomes, and you can read his correspondence with each organisation here.